Lots of evidence against changing clocks
By Letter to the Editor on April 1, 2020.
The Toronto Star editorial in the March 13 edition of the Medicine Hat News presented a one-sided view on the impacts of the one-hour time change in spring and fall. In the editorial they refer to studies that show five to 15 per cent increase in heart attacks and eight per cent increase in strokes in the days after the time change. However, anyone that does some research will discover there are many studies that find there are no significant health impacts. An article on a B.C. government website (engage.gov.bc.ca) entitled “Studies on the Effects of Changing our Clocks” reviewed a number of studies. Of these 84 per cent concluded there was minimal, if any, health impacts linked to the time change. The Star editorial also overstates the impact of the time change on our circadian rhythm or internal clock. The National Sleep Foundation considers the time change comparable to a “mild case of jet lag.” A general rule of thumb is it takes one day for the internal clock to adapt for every hour of time change experienced. For most people it takes about one day to adapt after the time change but for those that have non-ideal sleep patterns or are sleep deprived it can take a few days more. To add perspective, going on trips more than one time zone away disrupts the internal clock more than the one-hour time change. There is also a contradiction in the Star editorial as on one hand they are concerned about the circadian rhythm but then they support jurisdictions that have moved permanently to Daylight Savings Time, which results in one hour later sunrise in the winter and many people awakening in darkness for three to four months. If the Star had done more research, they would have found that waking up to daylight helps you wake up, increases energy throughout the day, and can establish a better sleep/wake cycle, which will help you fall asleep at night (information from National Sleep Foundation). If the Star is truly concerned about the circadian rhythm, they should recommend staying on standard time all year. Denis Hoffman, Medicine Hat 8-7
The title given to my letter by the NEWS is a bit misleading as the intention was to present information that shows the impact of the one hour time change is not as devastating as indicated by the Star editorial and that it is quite manageable and is still a reasonable option.